Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-20
CORPUS CHRISTI PASS.
The Host Favorable Piar~ fHr ID ,ilsiyg
and Maintaining !.$"p tistsr
On the Cult Coast.
Eff TT 20 BIZ r. ad. 70 Draw the Attic ntion
OF Capitalists to The subject-Deep
Water necessity.
81. LOUIS, Mo Aug. 70, ISL.

! 81. LOUIS, Mo Aug. -, ISL.
Colonel John Adamsou:
MI DEAR SIR-Your favor Of the 10Th
ult. is received. l expect 20 be in New
York shortly, and one of my objects in
visiting that city is TO talk about Corpus
Christi AID its advantages. I am so
thoroughly impressed with the idea that
deep water can De permanently secured
at Aransas Pass, st very moderate ex-
pense, thst am disposed to make some
effort IN drawing the attention CT CAPT
tslists . the subject That G deep
water connection with the gulf is neces-
sitY for Texas does nor admit of argu-
ment, il is self evident. Yours truly,
ID. II. ARMSTRONG.
FORT WORTH, Ten, Aug. L, Iss7.
Hon. u. II. Armstrong, southern Hote!, ST.
Louis.
Ny DEAR SIR enclose you some
facts in regard &c Corpus Christi Pass,
which l would beg OF you to look over at
your leisure.
Corpus Christi Pass is some sixty miles
south OF Arkansas Pass, and was the cri-
ginal harbor for the southern portion of
the Texas coast. l think it has more
favorable lCcstion and greater facilities
for obtaining and maintaining deep water
than either Arkansas Pass or any other
pass on the Texas gulf coast north of it.
With many thanks for your promptness
in replying, l an, very respectfully,
JOHN ADAMsoN.
The following is copy Of letter semitic
Colonel j. P. Smith, july 81:
"DEAR COLONEL - Referring 10 cur
conversation in regard 10 deep water on
the Texas Gulf coast, l would beg leave
to cali your attention to certain matters
contained in a pamphlet published by
some person and entitled: "a state
ment as to the advantages Of the mouth
of the Braz0s river in Texas IS the site
fer the best LeTbor on the coast OF
Texas"
In looking il over, l find the state
ment that much greater mileage OF rail
! roads is being constructed in Texas, than
in any other state n the Union. 1t also
speaks Of the immense amount Of cotton
raised in this country, and touches on
the necessity of & deep water port to &C
commoGste the growing commerce, no.
only cf Texas, bat also OF the states OF
Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, IS
: well as of the neutral strip sni the Indl-
2 sn Territory.
; ''Tne Denver and Rio Grande have
Q built great system Of narrow gauge
roads with which to compete for the
trade in Texas aud Mexico, and the Fort
p Worth and Denver is now on the point o.
! completion between Denver and For
Worth. The latter named road will carry
: cheap ores mined i'll Colorado and Cd.
joining states to deep water, via its line
&c the Gulf of Mexico.
o ITO secure deep water ST Galveston il
5 q very difficult and expensive matter
which will require years OF time and mil
lions of money to carry through, and !
f large amount spent yearly to maintain it
the result Of which will be, TO say tn
least of il, very prOblematiCsl.
at would seem to me, having the idel
IN view SIS put forth by one Of the bes
hydraulic engineers who has ever visited
the southern coast, point would o.
| raised against the BraZC IS as deep waite
port that could hardly be overcome, viz
Y the width of the bar and the deposit 0
/, alluvisl matter carried by the fresh waite
e of the river, which meeting the salt waite
n of the gull, a. the point Of contact depQs
+, It's sedimentary matter that would call TO
q a large annual expenditure 10 clear Gu
e the Chsnnel. Another point to be decide
/. On is the cost of obtaining and maintain
ing deep water at the mouth of the B&rZos
The report gives no figures this
can be relied upons and after mentiOnin
acer ain sum, Major Howell state
, that he really does not know Whist 1t Wi
cost.
"Not over $4,000 viii be needed t
81 furnish twenty-three feet Of water Q
u Corpus Christi bar, and the necessa
ct money to be used in this enterprise ca
ar be determined upon before blow
a struck. The pass at Point Isabel, or tn
es mouth of the Rio Grhnde is too for sout
~ ~ to receive any consideration. OF IndisI
IT ola, Sabine Pass and to certei
T. extent Arkansas Pass, the Casmitous re
20 suits of recent storms are 50 fresh in ID
.e minds Of cur people that it is hardl
OF worth while for me to point out their d,
fects. The sweeping away OF $1,000
worth of material st Arkansas Pa.s, an
the wiping out of the entire populate
of Indianola and Sabine Pass, hay
I SO intimidated capital and the people gel
| orally that for years to come no huns
! effort will succeed in sga!n e8tab!ishiI
ItSTns at those points.
" Galveston hiss also had some narro
escapes from being swept away and Il
confidence OF capital has been GeStroye
in relation to making investments ct Til
rk place. No year has passed during whicl
ST some period, great damage has NJ
been done by the severe storms tn
n sweep that coast. These conditions a.
all due to the nstural formation Of Il
Ut country, and g glance st the map will
once demonstrate to the most casual O
server that the ports from Sabine to Ara
sas are untenabe and unsafe. The pre-
vailing winds from the southeast bio
F. the waters of the Gulf onto the lowlanC
lying behind the bars and islan(
ms within the space named; snd frequen
ny ly fierce storm from the soutl
lis east is succeeded, in seconds TIM
"a. a by wild blow from the northwest. Thu
the waters that have,for months been drl
- en- in by the tirst-named winds are e2
PEELED in the space Of few hours by
i' a[ fierce norther.
Of Corpus Christi Pass lies at the point
cd q triangle of land extending back sever
x4hundIed miles, to Preside del Norte {
" the northwest and to Laredo on t
" southwest, the land of which rises gra
ri ually from point some thirty three fe
nd shove high water mark at Corpus Chri:
LA until it attelns an altitude above sea lev